1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an audio information reproducing device in an audio information recording/reproducing system for recording audio information such as a voice in an optically readable form and reproducing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a medium for recording a voice and music, various types of recording media such as a magnetic tape and optical disk are known.
However, even if these media are mass-produced, the unit price thereof is high and a large space is necessary for storing them.
Further, in a case where it becomes necessary to give or lend a medium on which a sound is recorded to a person living at a remote location, it is troublesome and takes a long time to send it by post or directly hand it over to him.
Therefore, it is considered to record audio information on paper in the form of image information which can be transmitted by facsimile and copied on a large scale.
For example, as is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 60-244145, it is proposed to convert audio information into image information by converting a slight amount of sound into optical codes and to transmit the thus obtained image information by facsimile.
Further, in International Application PCT/JP 93/01377 by the assignee of the applicant of this invention (now published as WO 94/08314), an information recording/reproducing system is proposed which can reproduce multi media information including audio information such as voice, video information obtained from a video camera or the like and digital code information or the like from a recording medium in any place by a desired number of times by disposing a portion for optically reading a code from a recording medium on which the multi media information is recorded in the optically readable code form and then decoding the code into the original multi media information into a portable case so that a recording medium which has long-time multi media information including audio information recorded thereon can be used, and also a recording medium which can be used for the information recording/reproducing system is proposed.
However, it is not considered to freely select different audio information items recorded in a plurality of recording codes, synthesize them and simultaneously output them as an audio output in the device disclosed in the above KOKAI Publication or International Application in which audio information is converted into optically readable code information and is printed on one recording medium or printed after being transferred when a facsimile is used, and then the code information is read from the printed medium by use of optical reading means, and audio information is decoded again and output.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4C, the conventional audio information reproducing device includes a code information reading section 3 for optically reading recording codes 2 recorded on a recording medium 1, a code information decoding section 4 for decoding code information read by the code information reading section 3, a D/A converter 5 for converting digital audio information decoded by the code information decoding section 4 into an analog audio signal, and an audio output section 6 for outputting the analog audio signal converted by the D/A converter 5 as an audio output. In this conventional system, the recording codes on the recording medium can be reproduced only one at a time.
Therefore, even if audio information items for respective musical instruments (for respective parts) are separately printed in the optically readable code form on a musical score, for example, musical sounds of the respective musical instruments can only be separately reproduced and it is impossible to simultaneously output musical sounds in the same passage by use of a combination of desired musical instruments.